U008--Amendment 0001 -- Provide vendor questions, answers

Solicitation Number: 36C10G23R0040

Notice Type: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

Synopsis: COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for Nurse Telephone Triage Training services prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 Commercial Items and FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation number 36C10G23R0040 is issued for this combined synopsis/solicitation; this solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ). This combined synopsis/solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2023-01 effective December 30, 2022.

Requirement Description:

As telephone triage remains a significant form of telehealth nursing and a core service of the VA Health Connect Clinical Contact Centers nationwide, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Integrated Veteran Care (IVC) is seeking access to a commercial off the shelf (COTS) online web-based course for nurse triage in the clinical contact center (CCC) environment. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, through a contract with Telephone Triage Consulting, Inc. (TTC), owned and operated by Carol Rutenberg, VHA offered the Telephone Triage as Professional Nursing Practice: Improve Quality and Risk Education Seminar to 900 Registered Nurses (RNs) with great success. This seminar was originally taped in 2019 and updated in 2020. Moving forward, VHA is looking for a triage nursing course geared towards RNs in the clinical contact center environment to accommodate current recommendations and standards in telephone triage to telehealth nursing and encompass new best practices.

VA Health Connect is part of VA s transformation of care delivery, providing Veterans even more control of their health, letting them choose how, when, and where to receive their care. VA s Clinical Contact Centers (CCCs) will provide Veterans easier access to 24/7 virtual services using a single toll-free number at each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) level CCC.

VHA is committed to supporting its staff with effective training opportunities to increase competency, work effectiveness, and leadership. By providing access to this training, VA Health Connect under IVC ) will reap a benefit of increased first contact resolution and improved Veteran satisfaction in Clinical Contact Center Modernization (CCCM) through provision of self-paced professional development offering for the triage RNs. These RNs are considered the cornerstone of telephone triage nursing. Staff in the clinical contact centers have identified a need for a robust nurse triage training. This clinical training will enhance VA Health Connect triage nurses understanding and, appropriate and effective use of Decision Support Tools (DST) through development of their critical thinking skills. The anticipated learning outcomes upon completion of the course will provide the learner with increased knowledge in professional, regulatory, and legal standards governing telephone triage; critical thinking, theory, and decision making in uncertain conditions of telephone triage; appropriate use of decision support tools; documentation; and risk management.

This acquisition is unrestricted and is not set-aside for small business concerns. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 611430 Professional and Management Development Training and the associated size standard is $15M.

The FAR provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial, applies to this acquisition including attached addenda to the provision.

The FAR provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, and the specific evaluation criteria in the attached addenda also applies to this acquisition.

Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, with its offer, if not available in the System for Award Management (SAM).

The FAR Provision found at 52.204-7(b)(1) requires that All interested Offerors must be registered in SAM prior to submitting an offer or quotation. SAM can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ .

The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.

The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.

All questions regarding this combined synopsis/solicitation shall be submitted on Attachment D and are due via email no later than 3:00 PM Eastern on February 20, 2023, to maggie.falkner@va.gov and justin.sink@va.gov. No calls will be accepted.

Quotes are due via email by 3:00PM Eastern on March 15, 2023 to maggie.falkner@va.gov and justin.sink@va.gov.

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